Twenty Three - Mists of the present within a cloudy past

After unloading the cargo, the other employees invite me to have lunch with them in the dinning hall.

Even feeling completely nauseous, I accept.

This is a great opportunity to infiltrate the place.

And I can use some food now.

The food was edible.

I think it was thrown together in a rush.

With all the extra work and the hustle and bustle everywhere, everyone’s focus was on the event. Now that I am fed and my stomach seemed to have calmed down, I need to press on with the mission.

A Council Combat gear had been left on the top floor, at the attic, for me to put on for the fight.

In fact, it is increasingly looking like a mission I will not make it out of alive.

But back at the desert fortress, I also thought I would not make it, yet here I am today.

Standing strong.

Ready for battle once again.

The corridors of City Hall are wide and spacious.

Especially the lower levels.

The main lobby is being prepared for the festivities.

It is a large entrance area currently being decorated to resemble a ballroom.

More than a hundred people will be there, eating, drinking, and dancing the night away.

The contaminated wine will be served only to the special guests. They will be on the upper level of the main hall, together with the Council members.

The other people downstairs might not even notice the commotion that is about to unfold.

I have to be careful.

Given the chaos and the sheer number of people, making my escape might not be so easy.

My mission for tomorrow night is simple: ensure that as many people as possible drink the wine. In the end, if there is a Council member standing, I will make sure they are not.

I have to stay quiet and watch everything from afar, hopefully without actually having to take action.

In a way, it is safe.

But Olvad will be here.

He knows my face.

At some point during the night, other missions and attacks will happen across the city.

Even across the continent.

I do not know what else they are planning besides the mass prison break.

Chaos will take over everything tomorrow, and I need to stay focused on my objective despite all that will be happening.

I swear to myself that I will not leave here until I complete my mission.

I am patrolling the floors of City Hall.

I am being careful not to look too suspicious or let anyone see me.

The upper floors, where the staff work, are narrower.

There are corridors and offices with people working in them.

Everything seems normal.

I still have three floors to go before I reach the meeting point.

The way up to the attic is small and hidden.

I think there are other attics in this building.

This one is the most hidden and perfect for staying until tomorrow.

I do not think it will be very comfortable for sleeping, but that is not a problem either.

All the equipment is here.

This place is really tight and small.

I will only put this armor on tomorrow.

For now, I am just going to relax and rest.

The decisive battle is approaching, and I want to be at my best.

For some reason, I dream.

Not a mission.

An actual dream.

A memory.

I think.

It had been a long time since I last dreamed.

My whole family and my friends in WayDek were happy.

We were preparing for our solstice celebration.

I was still very young.

That was about nine years ago.

And just to think that two years passed between the coup and the invasion...

The people around me hid their worries very well.

I did not notice the rising political tensions or the surrounding conflicts.

My mother always smiled and went about life as usual.

She and grandma managed to keep our home peaceful right up to the very last moment.

I do not think my friends knew anything either.

They never mentioned anything.

The adults were keeping all that information from the children.

I do not know if we would have grasped the full gravity of the situation.

I do not think they fully understood the gravity of the situation.

We were all in the dark regarding the Council.

Even if we had not been, even if we had known we were about to be invaded...

Where would we have gone?

The entire continent is under the Council's control.

Fleeing was pointless.

And why should we flee anyway?

It was our home.

We were not doing anything wrong.

It hurts to realize that they did nothing with the city after the devastation.

They destroyed it simply for the sake of destruction.

Perhaps I should not have gone to see it.

Preparations for the Solstice party were in full swing.

My grandmother was expected to join the other elders, while my mother prepared dishes to take to the celebration at Roger’s family’s home.

Since we grew up together, our families always spent these special occasions together.

It was just my mother and me after my grandmother ascended to the role of elder, and grandma did not like the idea of ​​us being isolated and alone.

Roger’s father always threw big parties, inviting the neighbors.

It was always a big event in our neighborhood every time he decided to throw a party.

Plus, it meant I could spend more time with Roger, too.

I miss him terribly.

I miss everyone so much.

The solstice celebrations were filled with music, food, and games.

Warlocks feel a sense of something missing deep within.

A faint pain, as if our bodies were searching for something but not finding anything.

That is why we distract ourselves all day long with the festivities: so that this discomfort can pass as quickly and easy as possible.

Even the people unable to use magic feel this weird.

Not having the ability to channel the magic power; it still lives within us all.